Best day in Rome Part Uno
I had an amazing day in Rome and I would
love to share about it!
It was only one day - we started at around
9 in the morning and left at around 7 pm but it was fantastic!
Briefly how the day passed by - had
breakfast close to the amazing St Peter's basilica, then off to a walk down the
centuries-old streets, street food for lunch at the Pantheon followed by a
visit to the Colosseum. Totally loved it!
So starting at St Peter's basilica - it's
the biggest church in the Christian world and the tallest building in Rome - no
one can build something taller since the Holly temple has to be the top. I
would always recommend visiting it since there are amazing pieces of art in it.
Once you enter, to the right you will see one of the most famous statues of the
“Pieta“ style. It's created by Michelangelo and looks incredibly vivid. It's a personal
favorite because of its beauty, I wouldn't say I'm religious at all to be
honest.
Step 1- Piazza Navona
There
is nothing I can really say about the history or geography of this great place
apart from the fact that there is a huge church there which is highly recommended
by our guide. It's amazing on the inside but if you're not fond of architecture
and are not religious, then you can freely enjoy the piazza itself. It's huge
and has 3 fountains. The middle one is of course the biggest - it's statues of
4 laying men - this represents the 4 rivers from the continents across which
the papal authority had spread. There is also a huge obelisk in the middle. As
you may guess the obelisk itself was not created in Rome but rather stolen
from Egypt. As you walk down the city you will see many many monuments which
didn't initially originate from Rome but were stolen - Greece, Egypt....
Wherever possible. That really makes the city quite
"multicultural" :)
This fountain - the biggest one in the middle - was created by Bernini - an Italian sculptor and architect, very famous and loved in Rome. You can see his designs not only in the streets but also in St. Peter's Basilica. You will hear the name a lot basically.
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| From the fountain in the middle |
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| Head to this one to reach Grom |
There
are 2 other fountains at the piazza which really makes it cheerful and nice for
a portion of amazing ice cream and some chill hours at one of the many cafes at
it. We took our ice cream from "Tre Scalini" - very old cafe and
there is also another very typical "gelateria" at the piazza - once
you face "Tre Scalini" you turn to your right and walk the whole
piazza to reach "Grom" at its very end. Another personal favorite of
mine which I tasted while in Venice.
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| The last fountain |
Why
I recommend visiting: nice chill atmosphere, great food, good cafes and perfect
picture spot. There are many other tourists as well but the fountains give the
piazza great culture and the atmosphere is very lively. I can only hope I will
go back and enjoy it in the evening - I'm sure there will also be more street
musicians and it is going to be so much fun!
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| Our gelato from "Tre Scalini" |
Step 2 - Castel Sant'Angelo
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| Liked it |
It was my second time in Rome and I didn't
enter the castle this time either but one day I hope I will as according to the
rumors and the reviews and all guides, it's very nice on the inside with
amazing artifacts to see. Curious fact about the castle - there
are many tunnels beneath it which can be used to save the Pope in case he's being
attached in the Vatican. And thanks to them in 1527 it was the refuge of Pope Clement
VII.
Take a look at the top of the castle
- there is a huge bronze statue of Archangel Michael. It's believed that in the
5th century during the plague he appeared on top of the castle sheating his
sword. This was taken as a prophecy that the plague will end soon which was
vital for the city which was suffering hard from it at that time. This is the legend which
inspired the creation of the statue and also explains how the castle got its
name.
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| This is not Archangel Michael but is still beautiful to me |
There
isn't much more I can share since I was actually taking pictures during the
talk at the Castel. There is a great view from there and I even saw a bride and a groom taking their wedding pictures by the river.
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| View from the bridge at the front entrance of Sant'Angelo |
Step 3 - Spanish Steps
A number of steps surrounded by flowers and lots of tourists sitting by. At the top
you can see the Trinita dei Monti church and at the bottom - a great fountain shaped like a small
boat (my interpretation) which is actually the "Piazza di Spagna". It's said that the fountain is designed by Pietro Bernini - father of the Bernini I mentioned above. The son is called Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
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| View from the bottom |
I really liked the vivid atmosphere here -
so many people, many of them taking pictures like all tourists do, but there
were also Italians who were just sitting at the sun, enjoying the great weather
and chatting to each other. If you have a huge garden in your home town where people
take long walks or sit down on the benches to have beer of coffee together
among the nature - imagine something similar. The whole idea that there are
people who live there and spend their free time surrounded by all this beauty
and life going on around them - so nice..... La dolce vita as I see it... Such places really make me dream
about what living at such a place would be like. In Sofia I barely pay attention
to the tourists but at such places they're literally everywhere since Rome is
relatively small.
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| View from the top terrace |
From
the top of the steps you can see a huge part of the city (naturally not as much
as you can from the roof of St. Peter's basilica, but still nice) and live and
breathe the whole noise and atmosphere downstairs. There are terraces every
once in a while so even if you don't really feel fit you can still reach the
top easily. You can also barely see the fountain at the bottom.
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| The fountain - Fontana della Barcaccia ("the ugly boat") |
There are benches around the fountain
which makes it even easier and more enjoyable to sit down and enjoy a short
break from the sunny day. And still be in the middle of this beautiful, colorful
and noisy chaos that is so fun to enjoy. Many people are also sitting on the
steps directly. Gives a great view and you'll be surrounded by beautiful
flowers.
I have asked an amazing blogger to take a picture of me right
there, I'm adding 2:
Step 4 - Fontana di Trevi
This
is one of the best-known places in Rome. There are fountains literally
everywhere here but this one is still one of the most beautiful I have seen.
Yes, it's incredibly crowded. Yes, everyone is taking photos, trying to be in
your way - between your camera and the perfect shot but all this is totally worth it! Last time I was
in Rome it was closed and that was heart-breaking for me since I've seen so
many pictures and wanted to see it but luckily this time all was fine.
So no further intros - here it is:
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| I'm so in love |
It's called "di Trevi" since the
fountain is located in the Trevi district of Rome and part of its fame is due
to its size - di Trevi is the biggest Baroque fountain and it was captured in
famous movies such as "La dolce vita". It's extremely crowded but all
the water - the sound, the color combined with the beautiful statues typical
for Italy are so relaxing and literally made me so happy. There are magical
places at which you don't feel tired, you just get more and more energized and
I have no explanation why but for me the fountains and in general places
related to water are such. It's calming but combined with such great art it
makes people go speechless.
Many people throw coins. Thanks to this tradition in the fountain are gathered approximately
3,000 Euro per day. Just to let you know - it's forbidden to "take"
coins from the fountain. But I did throw one myself.
Step 5 - Lunch at the Pantheon
Here is where we stopped to have lunch. So
I will share more about the Pantheon in the next post but before this let me
show you what we did for lunch.
Because the Pantheon is such a
great place with the same vivid culture you can feel at many sites that are not
just a place for tourists but are also beloved by the locals, we wanted to sit
down and live and breathe the local culture. So instead of looking for some
fancy restaurant, we bought pizza and drinks from a nearby take-away place and
sat at the fountain to have lunch there. And it was the best decision! We
literally dived into the place and mixed with the locals. Our lunch was nice
and it was not expensive at all - I got pizza and Coke for 5.50 Euro so our total
bill was no more than 12-13 Euros. We would never have such a bill at any
restaurant. And it was also delicious. So if you're wondering how to proceed
I'd suggest - grab something on the go and sit by the fountain. It's so
relaxing, nice and makes you feel like a local.
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| My pizza |
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| Our lunch selection |
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| Post-food happiness |
Next time I will share about our
afternoon. Hope you also enjoy your visit in Rome!
xoxo
Elle
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